Acer ALTOS 3102RS User Manual

AcerAltos 3102RSAcerAltos 3102RS

Ultra-SCSI to Ultra-SCSI RAID Controller

User’s Guide

CopyrightCopyright

Copyright  1998 by Acer Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of this company.

DisclaimerDisclaimer

This company makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further, this company reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.

FCC Class B Radio FrequencyFCC Class B Radio Frequency

Interference StatementInterference Statement

Note:

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

2. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

3. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

4. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.

Notice 1:

The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

Notice 2:

Shielded interface cables, if any, must be used in order to comply with the emission limits.

iii

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................1

Chapter 2 Features.........................................................3

Chapter 3 Functional Description.................................7

RAID Management..........................................................................7

What are the RAID levels?.................................................7

NRAID Disk Spanning...................................................8

JBOD Single Drive Control............................................9

RAID 0 Disk Stripping....................................................9

RAID 1 Disk Mirroring .................................................10

RAID (0+1) Disk Striping with Mirroring ......................11

RAID 3 Disk Striping with Dedicated Parity Disk.........12

RAID 5 Striping with Interspersed Parity.....................13

Drive Failure Management............................................................ 14

Global and Local Spare Drive...........................................14

Identifying Drives..............................................................16

Automatic Rebuild and Manual Rebuild ...........................18

Automatic Rebuild.......................................................18

Manual Rebuild ...........................................................19

Concurrent Rebuild in RAID (0+1)....................................20

Disk Array Parameters ..................................................................21

Rebuild Priority .................................................................21

Verify-after-Write..............................................................21

Cache Parameters.........................................................................23

Optimization for Sequential or Random I/O......................23

Drive-Side SCSI Parameters .........................................................24

SCSI Motor Spin-up..........................................................24

SCSI Reset at Power Up...................................................24

Disk Access Delay Time...................................................25

SAF-TE Enclosure Management ...................................................26

What is SAF-TE?..............................................................26

How Does SAF-TE work?.................................................26

Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion..................................................27

What Is It and How Does It Work? ...................................27

Two Modes of Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion.............27

Example: RAID Expansion in Windows NT

Server ................................................................30

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation................................. 39

Locations of the Parts ....................................................................39

Front View ......................................................................39

Rear View of the Main Board............................................40

Top View of the Main Board..............................................41

Top View of the Daughter Board (AA-9073UWS).............42

Top View of the Daughter Board (AA-9072UWD) ............42

Top View of the Daughter Board (AA-9073U2).................43

Installing DRAM SIMM...................................................................44

Installing the SCSI Channel Upgrade Daughter Board..................45

Battery Backup...............................................................................47

Power Connection..........................................................................50

Serial Port Connection and Set-Up................................................51

Basic Operational setup.................................................................53

In-band SCSI.................................................................................55

What is it and why do you need it?...................................55

How Do You Configure the Acer RAID Manager

to Use In-band SCSI? .......................................56

RAID Controller Adjustments......................................56

Example: Settings for Windows NT 4.0 ......................58

Using In-band SCSI in Acer RAID Manager..................... 60

Local Connection — SNMP Not Required ..................60

Remote Connection — SNMP Required.....................60

Chapter 5 Quick Setup.................................................67

Front Panel....................................................................................67

RS-232 Terminal Interface ............................................................ 69

Chapter 6 Configuring RAID........................................71

Starting to Build a RAID System Drive ..........................................71

How the RAID Controller Works?..................................................73

SCSI Channel, SCSI ID and LUN.....................................73

Understanding Step by Step............................................. 74

Chapter 7 General Front Panel Operation..................77

Understanding the Information on the LCD................................... 77

The Initial Screen..............................................................77

Logical Drive Status..........................................................78

SCSI Drive Status.............................................................79

SCSI Channel Status........................................................80

Viewing and Editing Logical Drives................................................82

Creating a Logical Drive...................................................82

Viewing Logical Drives and Drive Members......................84

Deleting a Logical Drive....................................................84

Partitioning a Logical Drive ...............................................85

Deleting a Partition of a Logical Drive...............................86

Assigning a Logical Drive Name.......................................87

Rebuilding a Logical Drive ................................................88

Viewing and Editing Host LUNs .....................................................90

Mapping a Logical Drive to a Host LUN............................90

Viewing and Deleting LUN Mappings................................91

Pass-through SCSI Commands........................................91

Viewing and Editing SCSI Drives...................................................93

Scanning New SCSI Drive................................................93

Viewing Drive Information.................................................94

Adding a Local Spare Drive ..............................................95

Adding Global Spare Drive................................................96

Identifying a Drive .............................................................96

Deleting Spare Drive (Global / Local Spare Drive)............97

SCSI Drives Utilities..........................................................98

SCSI Drive Low-level Format......................................98

SCSI Drive Read/Write Test.......................................99

Viewing and Editing SCSI Channels............................................100

Viewing and Redefining a Channel Mode.......................100

Setting a SCSI Channel’s ID / Host Channel..................101

Viewing a SCSI Channel’s ID ...................................101

Setting a SCSI Channel’s Primary ID / Drive

Channel............................................................103

Setting a SCSI Channel’s Secondary ID / Drive

Channel............................................................104

vii

Setting a SCSI Channel’s Terminator ............................105

Setting the Transfer Speed ............................................106

Setting the Transfer Width .............................................107

Viewing and Editing a SCSI Target / Drive

Channel...........................................................108

Slot Number ..............................................................108

Maximum Synchronous Transfer Clock....................108

Maximum Transfer Width..........................................109

Parity Check..............................................................109

Disconnecting Support..............................................110

Maximum Tag Count.................................................110

Restoring the Default Setting ....................................111

Viewing and Editing Configuration Parameters...........................112

Communication Parameters........................................... 112

Caching Parameters.......................................................112

Write-Back Cache Enable/Disable............................112

Optimization for Sequential / Optimization for

Random ...............................................................113

viii

Host-side SCSI Parameters...........................................113

Maximum Queued I/O Count ....................................114

LUNs per Host SCSI ID.............................................114

Drive-side SCSI Parameters.......................................... 114

SCSI Motor Spin-Up..................................................115

SCSI Reset at Power-Up...........................................115

Disk Access Delay Time ...........................................116

Tag Command Queuing............................................116

SAF-TE Enclosure Monitoring...................................117

Detection of Drive Hot Swap Followed by Auto

Rebuild.................................................................117

Idle Drive Failure Detection.......................................118

Disk Array Parameters....................................................119

Rebuilding Priority.....................................................119

Verification on Writes................................................ 119

Controller Parameters.....................................................121

Controller Name........................................................121

Viewing and Editing Peripheral Devices.......................................122

System Functions.........................................................................123

Mute Beeper....................................................................123

Changing the Password..................................................123

Resetting the Controller ..................................................124

Viewing System Information.........................................................125

Viewing and Editing Event Logs...................................................126

Chapter 8 RS-232C Terminal Interface .................... 127

Understanding the Information on the Screen .............................127

The Initial Screen............................................................127

Main Menu ....................................................................128

Logical Drive’s Status......................................................129

SCSI Drive’s Status.........................................................130

SCSI Channel’s Status....................................................132

Viewing the Current Setting of Each Function ................134

Viewing and Editing Logical Drives..............................................136

Creating a Logical Drive..................................................136

Viewing Logical Drives and Drive Members....................139

Deleting a Logical Drive..................................................140

Partitioning a Logical Drive.............................................140

Deleting a Partition of a Logical Drive ............................141

Assigning a Logical Drive Name.....................................142

Rebuilding Logical Drive.................................................143

Viewing and Editing Host LUNs...................................................145

Mapping a Logical Drive to a Host LUN .........................145

Viewing and Deleting the LUN Mappings.......................148

Viewing and Editing SCSI Drives.................................................150

Scanning a New SCSI Drive...........................................150

Viewing Drive Information...............................................151

Adding a Local Spare Drive............................................152

Adding a Global Spare Drive..........................................153

Identifying a Drive...........................................................153

Deleting a Spare Drive (Global / Local Spare

Drive)...............................................................154

Viewing and Editing SCSI Channels............................................155

Redefining a Channel Mode........................................... 155

Viewing and Editing a SCSI ID / Host Channel .............. 156

Adding a SCSI ID......................................................157

Deleting a SCSI ID....................................................157

Setting a Primary Controller’s SCSI ID / Drive

Channel...........................................................158

Setting a Secondary Controller’s SCSI ID / Drive

Channel...........................................................160

Setting a SCSI Channel’s Terminator ............................161

Setting a Transfer Speed ...............................................162

Setting a Transfer Width ................................................163

Viewing and Editing SCSI Target / Drive Channel..........164

Slot Number..............................................................165

Maximum Synchronize Transfer Clock.....................165

Maximum Transfer Width.........................................166

Parity Check..............................................................166

Disconnecting Support.............................................. 167

Maximum Tag Count ................................................ 167

Restoring the Default Setting....................................168

Viewing and Editing Configuration Parameters............................169

Communication Parameters...........................................169

Caching Parameters.......................................................170

Write-Back Cache Enable/Disable ...........................170

Optimization for Random or Sequential I/O.............. 171

Host-side SCSI Parameters............................................172

Maximum Queued I/O Count....................................172

LUNs per Host SCSI ID ..................................................172

Drive-side SCSI Parameters...........................................173

SCSI Motor Spin-Up .................................................173

SCSI Reset at Power-Up..........................................174

Disk Access Delay Time........................................... 174

Maximum Tag Count ................................................ 175

Disk Array Parameters....................................................176

Rebuild Priority.......................................................... 176

Verification On Writes...............................................177

Controller Parameters.....................................................178

Controller Name........................................................178

System Functions........................................................................179

Mute Beeper................................................................... 179

Change Password..........................................................180

Changing the Password............................................181

Setting a New Password...........................................181

Disabling the Password.............................................182

Reset Controller..............................................................182

Viewing System Information........................................................183

Chapter 9 Redundant Controller............................185

Before You Begin.........................................................................185

What Is Redundant Controller? Why The Need For

Redundant Controller?.........................................185

Write-Back Cache: Enabled or Disabled?.................185

What are Primary controller and Secondary

controller? ............................................................186

When should I choose Primary, Secondary or

Autocfg mode?.....................................................186

Quick Start ................................................................187

Setting Up Redundant Controllers...............................................188

Example of Redundant Controllers ................................188

Cables and Connections ................................................189

Connecting the Redundant Controller Cable.............189

Connecting the Controllers to the Terminal

Interface...............................................................190

Connecting the SCSI Cable to the Host Computer...190

Connecting the SCSI Cables to the Hard Drives.......191

Setting the Controllers using the Front Panel.................192

xii

Redundant Configuration using Automatic Setting...192

Redundant Configuration Using Manual Setting....... 193

Starting-up the Redundant Controllers ..................... 195

Assigning Logical Drives to the Secondary

Controller.............................................................196

When One of the Controller Fails.................................................198

What will happen when the one of the controllers

fails? .................................................................... 198

When and How is the Failed Controller Replaced?.. 198

Chapter 10 Redundant Host, Multiple Host............. 201

Redundant Host...........................................................................201

Multiple Host.................................................................................202

Chapter 11 Remote Administration.......................... 203

Acer RAID Manager Using SNMP Service .................................204

How to Establish Connection through SNMP? .........204

Remote Terminal Emulation Using PPP+Telnet..........................206

Hardware Connection...............................................206

Baud Rate Settings................................................... 207

Enable Terminal Emulation.......................................208

Setting PPP ID, PPP Password................................ 208

Data Routing Through PPP, Data Routing Direct to

Port......................................................................210

Establish Connection Between the Host Computer

and AA-3102RS................................................... 211

Connect Telnet to the Controller’s IP from the Client

Computer.............................................................212

xiii

Remote Terminal Emulation Using Modem.................................213

Hardware Connection for AA-3102RS ......................214

Setting AA-3102RS using the RS-232C Terminal

Interface...............................................................214

Configuring the Modem Port.....................................215

Modem Initialization Command.................................216

Modem Operating Modes..........................................216

Sending Default Init command and Custom Init

command - “Append to Default”...........................217

Initializing Modem......................................................217

Baud rate, Data Routing and Enable Terminal

Emulation.............................................................218

Establish the Connection from the Remote Terminal219

How do you know the modem is connected?............219

Setting AA-3102RS Using the Front Panel ...............219

Configure Modem Port..............................................219

Modem Initialization Command.................................220

Modem Operating Modes..........................................221

Initializing Modem......................................................222

Baud Rate, Data Routing and Enable Terminal

Emulation.............................................................222

Establish the Connection from the Remote

Terminal...............................................................222

How do you know the modem is connected?............223

Dial-out for Event Notifications.................................................... 224

Dial-out to a Terminal or a Pager?............................224

Setting Dial-out Function Through the Terminal

Emulation.............................................................225

xiv

Dial-out Command....................................................225

Auto Dial-out on Initialization.....................................226

Dial-out Time out ......................................................226

Dial-out Retry Count .................................................227

Dial-out Retry Interval............................................... 227

Dial-out on Event Condition......................................228

Setting Dial-out Function Through the Front Panel ..229

Dial-out Command....................................................229

Auto Dial-out on Initialization.....................................230

Dial-out Timeout .......................................................230

Dial-out Retry Count .................................................231

Dial-out Retry Interval............................................... 231

Dial-out on Event Condition......................................231

Chapter 12 Fault-Bus ................................................ 233

What is Fault-Bus? Why the Need for Fault-Bus?.......................233

How Does the Fault-Bus Work?...................................................235

Error Signals Input....................................................235

Drive Failure Signals Output..................................... 236

Fault-Bus Error Alert .......................................................237

How to Setup the Fault-bus?........................................................238

Hardware ....................................................................238

Configuring the Controller through the Front

Panel................................................................238

Assign Each SCSI Drive or Canister a Slot Number 238

Assign a Slot Number to an Existing SCSI Drive......238

Assign a Slot Number to an Empty Canister ............239

Delete the Slot Number.............................................240

Remove Empty Drive Entry.......................................240

Set Each Fault-bus Error Signal Input as Active-high

or Active-low.........................................................241

Enable Each Fault-bus Error Signal Input.................241

Test Drive Failure LED for Each Drive Canister........242

Viewing the Status of Each Fault-bus Error Signal

Input.....................................................................243

Viewing the Status of Each Fault-bus Error Signal

Input.....................................................................243

Configuring on the Controller through the RS-

232C Terminal Interface..................................244

Assign Each SCSI Drive or Canister a Slot Number.244

Assign a Slot Number to an Existing SCSI Drive......244

Assign a Slot Number to an Empty Canister.............245

Add Drive Entry .........................................................245

Delete the Slot Number of a SCSI Drive or Empty

Drive Entry ...........................................................246

Remove Empty Drive Entry.......................................247

Set Each Fault-bus Error Signal Input as Active-high

or Active-low.........................................................248

Enable Each Fault-bus Error Signal Input.................249

Test Drive Failure LED for Each Drive Canister........249

Viewing the Status of Each Fault-bus Error Signal

Input.....................................................................250

Appendix A Front Panel Navigation Map

Appendix B SCSI Cable Specifications

xvi

Appendix C Upgrading the Firmware

Appendix D Sync. Clock Period & Sync. Clock

Frequency

Appendix E Troubleshooting Guide

Appendix F Pin Assignments

Appendix G Specifications

Appendix H Record the Settings

xvii

Chapter 1 Introduction

The AA-3102RS is an Ultra-SCSI to Ultra-SCSI RAID controller specifically designed to provide RAID 0, 1, 3 or 5 capability to any host system equipped with a SCSI interface. It is totally independent of the host system's operating system. All RAID functions are performed by a 486 CPU coupled with high-speed DRAMs and firmware in the Flash Memory. In effect, it endows the host system with a high speed and fault-tolerant disk storage operation using the RAID technology. It is an ideal solution for weaving several hard disks into one contiguous volume.

The controller has comprehensive drive failure management that allows automatic reassignment of reserved blocks when a bad sector is encountered during a write. Hot-swapping is supported through automatic disconnection of a failed drive and detection of a reserved drive followed with background rebuilding of data. The controller also supports spare drive operation. What’s remarkable is all these failure recovery procedures are transparent to the host system.

The controller has been designed with ease of integration and maintenance in mind. All major features are described in the next chapter. The AA-3102RS already includes all the major operational requirements of a RAID subsystem. The overall features of a fullybuilt RAID subsystem will, however, depend on the actual components used and the creativity of the integrator.

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 Features

The AA-3102RS has the following features:

• Five operating modes:

• Non-RAID Disk Spanning

• RAID-0 Disk Striping

• RAID-1 Disk Mirroring and Striping (RAID 0+1)

• RAID-3 Disk Striping with Dedicated Parity

• RAID-5 Multiple Block Striping with Interspersed

Parity

• Comprehensive failure management including:

• Automatic bad sector reassignment

• Hot-swapping

• Spare drive operation (Supports both Global Spare and

Local Spare)

• Background rebuilding (Rebuild priority selectable)

• Verify-after-Write supported on normal writes, rebuild writes

and/or RAID initialization writes

• Works with any operating systems without additional software

drivers

• 5.25" drive profile allows easy integration into external subsystem

enclosures or directly into the host system's drive bay

• Up to five drive channels (optional 3-channel upgrade) for a total

of 75 connected drives

• Supports up to 15 SCSI IDs per channel

• Three optional upgrade daughter boards:

• AA-9073UWS: Ultra Wide, single-ended, 3 SCSI channels

Chapter 2 Features 3

• AA-9072UWD: Ultra Wide, differential, 2 SCSI channels

• AA-9073U2: Ultra2 Wide, 3 SCSI channels

• Up to 8 logical drives, each with independent RAID modes

• Up to 8 partitions per logical drive

• Logical drive can be assigned a name for ease of identification

• Number of drives for each logical drive has no limitation

• Dynamic mapping of LUNs to logical drives. Two or more LUNs

can be mapped to the same logical drive for redundant host operation

• Concurrent/Background logical drive initialization

• Performance optimization for Sequential or Random I/O

• Allows multiple drive failure and concurrent multiple drive rebuild

of a RAID (0+1) logical drive

• Configuration of individual SCSI target parameters

• Controller can be assigned a name for ease of identification

• Prior to first disk access, it allows adjustment of delay time during

controller initialization to enhance compatibility with slow-initial drives

• All channels are Ultra-Wide SCSI-2 (downward compatible to

SCSI-1) and can be configured as either a host or drive interface

• Two or more SCSI channels can be simultaneously set as host

interface for redundant host system operation

• Compatible and will automatically match any SCSI hard disks with

SCSI-1, SCSI-2 or (Ultra)-Wide-SCSI (1 or 2) specification

• Full Ultra-Wide-SCSI-2 implementation including Tagged

Command Queuing and Multi-Threaded I/O

• Uses 486 CPU with all executable firmware downloaded into

high-speed DRAM

• EDO DRAM supported for enhanced performance

User’s Guide

• Up to 128 Mbytes of intelligent Read-Ahead/Write-Back cache

with optional battery backup

• Optional battery backup module to protect data in Write-Back

cache when a power failure occurs:

• AA-9010: battery backup module

• AA-9070: battery backup daughter board that connects to

AA-9010

• Firmware resides in easy-to-update Flash Memory

• Front panel LCD and push buttons for configuration and message

display

• Modem supported on either of the COM port

• Supports TELNET with PPP protocol for remote administration

• Acer RAID Manager and RS-232 terminal interface for RAID

management

• SAF-TE support

• Supports Fault-bus for enclosure management

AA-3102RS, mentioned throughout this manual refers to both the AA-3102RSA and AA-3102RSB controllers. The only difference between them is: AA-3102RSA is a half-height form factor with 2-line LCD display while AA3102RSB is a full-height form factor with 4-line LCD display.

Chapter 2 Features 5

Chapter 3 Functional Description

The advantages of RAID are: Availability, Capacity and Performance. Choosing the right RAID level and drive failure management can increase Availability, subsequently increasing Performance and Capacity. The AA-3102RS RAID controller provides complete RAID functionality and enhanced drive failure management.

RAID Management

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drive. The advantages of using a RAID storage subsystem are:

• Provides disk spanning by weaving all connected drives into one

single volume.

• Increases disk access speed by breaking data into several blocks

when reading/writing to several drives in parallel. With RAID, storage speed increases as more drives are added.

• Provides fault-tolerance by mirroring or parity operation.

What are the RAID levels?

RAID Level

NRAID Non-RAID 1 Drive Drive RAID 0 Disk Striping N ==RAID R: Highest

RAID 1 (0+1)

Description Minimum

Mirroring Plus Striping (if N>1)

Drives

N+1 >>NRAID

Data

Availability

==RAID 5

Performance

Sequential

W: Highest R: High W: Medium

Performance

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

Random

R: High W: Highest R: Medium W: Low

RAID Level

RAID 3 Striping with

RAID 5 Striping with

Description Minimum

Parity on dedicated disk

interspersed parity

NRAID Disk Spanning

Drives

N+1 >>NRAID

Data

Availability

==RAID 5

Performance

Sequential

R: High W: Medium

Performance

Random

R: Medium W: Low

R: High W: Low

NRAID

Minimum Disks required

Capacity N Redundancy N

Logical

Drive

2 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 8 GB Logical Drive

2 GB Hard Drive

3 GB Hard Drive

1 GB Hard Drive

2 GB Hard Drive

NRAID stands for Non-RAID. The capacity of all the drives are combined to become one logical drive (no block striping). In other words, the capacity of the logical drive is the total capacity of the physical drives. NRAID does not provide data redundancy.

User’s Guide

JBOD Single Drive Control

JBOD

Minimum

1 Disks required

Capacity 1 Redundancy No

2 GB

Logical Drive

3 GB

Logical Drive

1 GB

Logical Drive

= 2 GB Hard Drive

1 GB Hard Drive

3 GB Hard Drive

2 GB

Logical Drive

2 GB Hard Drive

JBOD stands for Just a Bunch of Drives. The controller treats each drive as a stand-alone disk, therefore each drive is an independent logical drive. JBOD does not provide data redundancy.

RAID 0 Disk Stripping

Logical Drive

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7 Block 8

. .

Minimum Disks required 2 Capacity N Redundancy No

Block 1 Block 3 Block 5 Block 7

RAID 0

Physical Disks

Striping

. .

Block 2 Block 4 Block 6 Block 8

. .

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

RAID 0 provides the highest performance but no redundancy. Data in the logical drive is striped (distributed) across several physical drives.

RAID 1 Disk Mirroring

Logical Drive

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7 Block 8

. .

Physical Disks

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4

. .

Mirroring

Mirror 1 Mirror 2 Mirror 3 Mirror 4

. .

RAID 1

Disks required 2 Capacity N/2 Redundancy Yes

RAID 1 mirrors the data stored in one hard drive to another. RAID 1 can only be performed with two hard drives. If there are more than two hard drives, RAID (0+1) will be performed automatically.

User’s Guide

RAID (0+1) Disk Striping with Mirroring

Physical Disks

Logical Drive

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7 Block 8

. .

Block 1 Block 3 Block 5 Block 7

. .

Mirror 1 Mirror 3 Mirror 5 Mirror 7

. .

Striping

Mirror

Striping

Block 2 Block 4 Block 6 Block 8

. .

Mirror 2 Mirror 4 Mirror 6 Mirror 8

. .

RAID (0+1)

Minimum Disks required 4

Capacity N/2

Redundancy Yes

RAID (0+1) combines RAID 0 and RAID 1 - Mirroring and Striping. RAID (0+1) allows multiple drive failure because of the full redundancy of the hard drives. If there are more than two hard drives assigned to perform RAID 1, RAID (0+1) will be performed automatically.

"RAID (0+1)" will not appear in the list of RAID levels supported by the controller. If you wish to perform RAID 1, the controller will determine whether to perform RAID 1 or RAID (0+1). This will depend on the drive number that has been selected for the logical drive.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

RAID 3 Disk Striping with Dedicated Parity Disk

Logical Drive Physical Disks

Dedicated

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7 Block 8

. .

Block 1 Block 3 Block 5 Block 7

. .

Striping

Block 2 Block 4 Block 6 Block 8

. .

Parity

Parity (1,2) Parity (3,4) Parity (5,6) Parity (7,8)

. .

RAID 3

Minimum Disks required 3 Capacity N-1 Redundancy Yes

RAID 3 performs Block Striping with Dedicated Parity. One drive member is dedicated to storing the parity data. When a drive member fails, the controller can recover/regenerate the lost data of the failed drive from the dedicated parity drive.

User’s Guide

RAID 5 Striping with Interspersed Parity

Logical Drive Physical Disks

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3

Block 4 Block 5

Block 6 Block 7 Block 8

. .

Striping + non-dedicated Parity

Block 1

Parity (3,4)

Block 6 Block 7

. .

Block 2 Block 3

Parity (5,6)

Block 8

. .

Parity (1,2)

Parity (7,8)

Block 4 Block 5

. .

RAID 5

Minimum Disks required 3 Capacity N-1 Redundancy Yes

RAID 5 is similar to RAID 3 but the parity data is not stored in one dedicated hard drive. Parity information is interspersed across the drive array. In the event of a failure, the controller can recover/regenerate the lost data of the failed drive from the other surviving drives.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

Drive Failure Management

Global and Local Spare Drive

Local Spare Drive

Local Spare Drive is a standby drive

assigned to serve one specified logical drive. When a member drive of this specified logical drive fails, the

1 2

Logical Drive

Assigns one Local Spare

Drive to a logical drive

Global Spare Drive

does not only serve one specified logical drive. When a member drive from any of the logical drive fails, the Global Spare Drive will join that logical drive and automatically starts to rebuild.

Local Spare Drive becomes a member drive and automatically starts to rebuild.

Local

Spare

Drive

1 2

Logical Drive

When one member drive fails, the Local Spare Drive joins the logical drive and automatically starts to rebuild.

User’s Guide

Global Spare Drive

Global Spare Drives serve any logical drives.

1 2

Logical Drive 0

1 2

Logical Drive 0

1 2

Logical Drive 1

Global Spare Drive

1 2

Logical Drive 1

Global Spare

Drive

1 2

Logical Drive 2

When a member drive from any logical drive fails, the Global Spare Drive joins that logical drive and automatically starts to rebuild.

1 2

Logical Drive 2

The AA-3102RS RAID controller provides both Local Spare Drive and Global Spare Drive functions. On certain occasions, applying these two functions together will better fit various needs. Take note though that the Local Spare Drive always has higher priority than the Global Spare Drive.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

In the example shown below, the member drives in Logical Drive 0 are 9 GB drives, and the members in Logical Drives 1 and 2 are all 4 GB drives. It is not possible for the 4 GB Global Spare Drive to join Logical Drive 0 because of its insufficient capacity. However using a 9GB drive as the Global Spare drive for a failed drive that comes from Logical Drive 1 or 2 will bring huge amount of excess capacity since these logical drives require 4 GB only. In the settings below, the 9 GB Local Spare Drive will aid Logical Drive 0 once a drive in this logical drive failed. If the failed drive is in Logical Drive 1 or 2, the 4 GB Global Spare drive will immediately give aid to the failed drive.

Local Spare Drive

(9GB)

1 2

(9GB)(9GB)

(9GB)

Logical Drive 0

1 2

(4GB) (4GB)

Logical Drive 1

Global Spare Drive

(4GB)

1 2

(4GB) (4GB)

Logical Drive 2

Local Spare Drive always has higher priority than Global Spare Drive.

Identifying Drives

Assuming there is a failed drive in the RAID 5 logical drive, make it a point to replace the failed drive with a new drive to keep the logical drive working.

When trying to remove a failed drive and you mistakenly removed the wrong drive, you will no longer be able to read/write the logical drive because the two drives may have already failed.

User’s Guide

To prevent this from happening, the controller provides an easy way of identifying for the failed drive. That is, the read/write LED of the failed hard drive will light. This LED will prevent you from removing the wrong drive, and is also helpful when locating for a drive.

Flash Selected SCSI Drive

The Read/Write LED of the drive you selected will light steadily for about one minute.

This applies to firmware versions 2.11 and above.

Flash All SCSI Drives

The Read/Write LED of all connected drives will light for about one minute. If the LED of the defective drive did not light on the "Flash Selected SCSI Drive" function, use "Flash All SCSI Drives". The "Flash All SCSI Drives" function will light LEDs of all the drives except the defective one.

R/W LED

LED Steadily ON

R/W LED

LED Steadily ON

This applies to firmware versions 2.11 and above.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

LED Steadily ON

Automatic Rebuild and Manual Rebuild

Automatic Rebuild

One member drive fails in logical drive

Any

Local Spare Drive

assigned to this

logical drive?

Any

Global Spare Drive

assigned to this

logical drive?

Wait for

manual rebuild

Yes

Rebuild using the

Local Spare Drive

Rebuild using the

Global Spare Drive

When a member drive in the logical drive failed, the controller will first check whether there is a Local Spare Drive assigned to this logical drive. If yes, it will automatically start to rebuild.

If there is no Local Spare Drive available, the controller will search for a Global Spare Drive. If there is a Global Spare Drive, it will automatically rebuild the logical drive.

If neither Local Spare Drive nor Global Spare Drive is available, the controller will not try to rebuild unless the user applies a forced-manual rebuild.

User’s Guide

Manual Rebuild

rebuild

been replaced?

When a user applies forced-manual rebuild, the controller will first check whether there is any Local Spare Drive assigned to this logical drive. If yes, it will automatically start to rebuild.

If there is no Local Spare Drive available, the controller will search for a Global Spare Drive. If there is a Global Spare Drive, it will automatically rebuild the logical drive.

User applies

forced-manual

Any

Local Spare Drive

assigned to this

logical drive?

Any

Global Spare Drive

assigned to this

logical drive?

Has the failed drive

Wait for

manual rebuild

Yes

Rebuild using the

Local Spare Drive

Rebuild using the

Global Spare Drive

Rebuild using the

replaced drive

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

If neither Local Spare Drive nor Global Spare Drive is available, the controller will detect the SCSI channel and ID of the failed drive. Once the failed drive has been replaced by a new drive/used drive, it starts to rebuild using the replaced drive. If there is no available drive for rebuilding, the controller will not try to rebuild again until the user applies another forced-manual rebuild.

Concurrent Rebuild in RAID (0+1)

RAID (0+1) allows multiple drive failure and concurrent multiple drive rebuild. Newly replaced drives must be scanned and set as Local Spare Drives. These drives will be rebuilt at the same time (you do not need to repeat the rebuilding process for each drive).

User’s Guide

Disk Array Parameters

Rebuild Priority

Rebuilding time will depend on the capacity of the logical drive. The AA-3102RS RAID controller provides background rebuilding ability. Meaning, the controller is able to serve other I/O requests while rebuilding the logical drives. The rebuilding process is totally transparent to the host computer or the operating system.

The background rebuild process has four priority options:

• Low

• Normal

• Improved

• High

The default priority is "Low" which uses the controller’s minimum resources to rebuild. Choosing "Normal" or "Improved" will speedup the rebuilding process and choosing "High" will use the controller’s maximum resources to complete the rebuilding process at the shortest time.

Rebuild priority can be configured through the RS-232C Terminal Interface, Acer RAID Manager or the front panel.

Verify-after-Write

The controller has the ability to force the hard drives to verify after data has been written to the media of the HDD. There are three selectable methods:

• Verification on LD Initialization Writes

Performs Verify-after-Write while initializing the logical drive.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

• Verification on LD Rebuild Writes

Performs Verify-after-Write during the rebuilding process.

• Verification on LD Normal Drive Writes

Performs Verify-after-Write during normal I/O requests.

Each method can be enabled or disabled individually. Hard drives will perform Verify-after-Write according to the selected method.

The "Verification on LD Normal Drive Writes" method will affect "write" performance during normal use.

User’s Guide

Cache Parameters

Optimization for Sequential or Random I/O

When using RAID with applications such as video or image oriented applications, the application reads/writes from the drive using largeblock, sequential files instead of small-block, random access files. The AA-3102RS RAID controller provides the options to optimize for large-sequential I/O or optimize for small-random I/O access.

"Optimization for Sequential I/O" provides larger stripe size (block size, also known as Chunk size) than "Optimization for Random I/O". A lot of the controller’s internal parameters will also be changed to optimize for sequential or random I/O. The change will take effect after the controller reboots.

If the existing logical drives were built with "Optimization for Random I/O", these logical drives will not read/write when using "Optimization for Sequential I/O" (shows "INVALID") and vice versa because the stripe size is different. Change it back to the original setting and reset the controller to make available the logical drive data again.

Changing the setting to "Optimization for Sequential I/O" or "Optimization for Random I/O" should be performed only when no logical drive exist. Otherwise, you will not be able to access the data in the logical drive later on.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

Drive-Side SCSI Parameters

SCSI Motor Spin-up

When the power supply is unable to provide sufficient current for all the hard drives and controllers that are powered-up at the same time, spinning-up the hard drives serially is one of the best way of consuming lower power-up current.

By default, all hard drives will spin-up when powered-on. These hard drives can be configured so that all of them will not spin-up at poweron. There are 3 methods of spinning-up the hard drive’s motor: Spinup at power-on, Spin-up serially in random sequence or Spin-up by SCSI command. Please refer to the hard drive’s user’s manual for instructions on configuring the hard drive using the "Spin-up by SCSI command". The procedure for each brand/model of hard drive should vary.

Configure all the hard drives as above and enable "SCSI Motor SpinUp" in Drive-Side SCSI Parameters. Power off all hard drives and controller, and power them on again. All the hard drives will not spinup at this time. The controller will then spin-up the hard drives one by one at four seconds interval.

If the drives are configured as "Delay Motor Spin-up" or "Motor Spin-up in Random Sequence," some of these drives may not be ready yet for the controller to access when the system powers up. Increase the disk access delay time so that the controller will wait a longer time for the drive to be ready.

SCSI Reset at Power Up

By default, when the controller is powered up, it will send a SCSI bus reset command to the SCSI bus. When disabled, it will not send a SCSI bus reset command on the next power-up.

User’s Guide

When connecting dual host computers to the same SCSI bus, the SCSI bus reset will interrupt all the read/write requests that are being performed. This may cause some operating systems or host computers to act abnormally. Disable the "SCSI Reset at Power-up" to avoid this situation.

Disk Access Delay Time

Sets the delay time before the controller tries to access the hard drives after power-on. The default is 15 seconds.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

SAF-TE Enclosure Management

What is SAF-TE?

SAF-TE stands for SCSI Accessed Fault-Tolerant Enclosures. It is an enclosure management technology. A SAF-TE-compliant enclosure monitors the fan temperature, power supply, UPS and also provides drive status LED’s. The SAF-TE enclosure connects to the RAID Controller via a SCSI connector. The RAID controller communicates with the SAF-TE enclosure with standard SCSI commands.

SAF-TE Support

RAID

Front Panel

error alert

GUI RAID Manager

Acer RAID Manager

error alert

Controller

SCSI

Drive Status

Indicators

SAF-TE Chipset

Temperature Alert

Signal Input

UPS Failure Signal Input

Cooling Fan

Failure

Signal Input

Power Supply

Failure

Signal Input

• SAF-TE chipset connects to the drive channel of the controller together with the other SCSI drives.

How Does SAF-TE work?

The SAF-TE device (often a back plane within a drive-bay enclosure) must occupy a connector on one of the drive channels’ SCSI cables. The presence of a SAF-TE device will be detected and its presence will be displayed in both the RS-232 terminal emulation and the Acer RAID Manager programs.

User’s Guide

Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion

What Is It and How Does It Work?

Before Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion, increasing the capacity of a RAID system using traditional methods meant backing up, re-creating and then restoring. Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion (a new feature of firmware version 2.11) allows users to add new SCSI hard disk drives and expand a RAID 0, 3 or 5 Logical Drive without powering down the system.

Two Modes of Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion

There are two modes of Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion: Mode 1 and Mode 2.

Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion

Mode 1

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

Mode 2

Mode 1 Expansion involves adding more SCSI hard disk drives to a logical drive, which may require that the user obtain an enclosure with more drive bays. The data will be re-striped onto the original and newly added disks.

RAID Expansion - Mode 1

2GB

RAID 5 Logical Drive - 4GB

RAID Expansion

In the figure above, new drives are added to increase the capacity of a 4-Gigabyte RAID 5 logical drive. The two new drives increase the capacity to 8 Gigabytes.

Mode 2 Expansion, on the other hand, requires the same number of higher-capacity SCSI hard disk drives for a given logical drive.

2GB

Add-in New Drives

2GB

RAID 5 Logical Drive - 8GB

2GB

User’s Guide

RAID Expansion - Mode 2 (1/3)

2 GB

2 GB 2 GB

RAID 5 (4GB)

Copy and Replace each of the member drives. Even if one member drives fails during the Copy and Replace, the logical drive will still be available for access.

The original logical drive

2 GB

2 GB 2 GB

RAID 5 (4GB)

4 GB

New Drive

Copy and Replace

one of the member drives

In use Unused

The figure above illustrates expansion of the same 4-Gigabyte RAID 5 logical drive using Mode 2 Expansion. Drives are copied and replaced, one by one, onto three higher-capacity drives.

RAID Expansion - Mode 2 (2/3)

Copy and Replace each member drive. After all the member drives have been replaced, execute the “RAID Expansion” to use the additional capacity.

2 GB

2 GB 4 GB

RAID 5 (4GB)

Copy and Replace the other member drives one by one until all the member drives have been replaced

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

4 GB

New Drive

In use Unused

This results in a new 4-Gigabyte, RAID 5 logical drive composed of three physical drives. The 4 Gigabytes of increased capacity is in a new partition.

• The increased capacity from Mode 1 Expansion

of a logical drive will be a new partition.

• At the time of this printing, Firmware version 2.11

does not support the "Copy and Replace" function that is required for Mode 2 Expansion. Third-party hard disk utilities may be used for Mode 2 Expansion of logical drives. Later versions of the firmware will support "Copy and Replace."

Example: RAID Expansion in Windows NT Server

Limitations When Using Windows NT 4.0

1. Only the Windows NT Server Disk Administrator includes the Extend Volume Set function; Windows NT Workstation does not have this feature.

2. The system drive (boot drive) of a Windows NT system cannot be extended.

3. The drive that will be extended should be using the NTFS file system.

The Example: The following example demonstrates the expansion of a 900MB RAID

0 logical drive. The Hyper Terminal emulation software that comes with Windows 95/NT is used to connect to the RAID controller via RS-

232.

User’s Guide

You can view information about this drive in the Windows NT Server’s Disk Administrator.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

Place the cursor on Disk 1, right-click your mouse, and select "Properties." You will see that the total capacity for the Drive E: is just under 900MB.

User’s Guide

Follow the steps described in section 7.2.8 to add SCSI disk drives and perform Mode 1 Dynamic Logical Drive Expansion.

The 900MB logical drive has become a 1800MB logical drive. Place the cursor on that logical drive, and then press <Enter>.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

From the menu, select Partition Logical Drive. You will see that the 1800MB logical drive is composed of two 900MB partitions.

Follow the directions in Chapter 7 section “Mapping a Logical Drive to a Host LUN” to map the new partition to a Host LUN. The new partition must be mapped to a host LUN in order for the HBA (host-bus adapter) to see it. Once you have mapped the partition, reboot Windows NT. The HBA should be able to detect an additional "disk."

User’s Guide

Return to Windows NT Server’s Disk Administrator. There now exists a Disk 2 with 900MB of free space. Click on Disk 2 to select it.

From the "Partition" menu, select "Extend Volume Set."

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

The screen will display that volume set of Drive E: has been extended by the 900MB in Disk2. Move the cursor to "Commit Changes Now" to confirm that you want the free space to become a part of the same logical drive.

Logical Drive E: is now composed of two 900MB partitions with a total volume of 1800MB. To see this, hold down on the <Ctrl> key and select both Disk 1 and Disk2; then right-click your mouse and select "Properties."

User’s Guide

Drive E: now has a capacity just under 1800MB.

Chapter 3 Functional Descriptions

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation

AA3102RS

Locations of the Parts

POWER

IFT-3102 V2.11 Ready

BUSY

ATTEN

ENT

ESC

Front View

POWER Lighted LED indicates power is on. BUSY Unlit indicates no activity.

Blinking indicates data is being accessed. Lighted LED indicates unprocessed cached data is

still in the memory.

ATTEN Lights when an error message appears or service

is required, e.g., when a drive fails and needs to be

replaced. t s buttons Scroll through available options. ENT button Choose or executes an option. ESC button Returns to previous menu or cancel selection. 2 x 16 LCD AA-3102RS controller

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 39

Rear View of the Main Board

JP6: SCSI Channel-1

JP1: SCSI Channel-0

JP2: Redundant Controller Port P2: Power Socket

P1: RS-232 Port COM1

JP7: SCSI Channel-2

COM2

User’s Guide

Top View of the Main Board

CPU

JP7: SCSI Channel-2

JP1:

P2: Power Socket

JP2:

P1:

JP5: Fault Bus

JP4: Fault Bus

7-Segment LED

JP18

JP16

500127

500126

JP6: SCSI Channel-1

SCSI Channel-0

RS-232 Port

Infortrend

Redundant Controller Port

SIMM-1 SIMM-2

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 41

Top View of the Daughter Board (AA-9073UWS)

JP1: SCSI Channel-3 JP2: SCSI Channel-4

JP5: SCSI Channel-5

SCSI Chip SCSI ChipSCSI Chip

Top View of the Daughter Board (AA-9072UWD)

JP6: SCSI Channel-3 JP7: SCSI Channel-4

SCSI Chip SCSI Chip

Pin 1 of the terminator resistors

User’s Guide

Top View of the Daughter Board (AA-9073U2)

JP5: Ultra2 SCSI Channel-5

JP1: Ultra2 SCSI Channel-3

JP2: Ultra2 SCSI Channel-4

SCSI Chip

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 43

Installing DRAM SIMM

The AA-3102RS controller requires a minimum of 4 Mbytes DRAM SIMM (with or without parity function) installed in a SIMM socket in order for it to operate. The controller is normally delivered without any DRAM installed.

The following are guidelines on using DRAMs:

• Use 72-pin 60 ns DRAM or 60 ns EDO RAM SIMM module. EDO

RAM is recommended for better performance.

• A SIMM, with or without parity, can be auto-detected by the

controller. A SIMM with parity is recommended for security.

• The minimum DRAM required is 4 Mbytes in-stalled in a SIMM

socket, however 8 Mbytes is recommended.

• The controller supports 4 MB, 8 MB, 16 MB, 32 MB, 64 MB

DRAM SIMM module. Maximum DRAM size is 128 Mbytes.

To install the DRAM SIMM:

1. Power off the system and disconnect the power connector.

2. Insert the DRAM SIMM vertically into the socket making sure the key is on the left side (1). Now push the module backward until the hooks on both sides of the socket snap into place (2).

User’s Guide

Installing the SCSI Channel Upgrade Daughter Board

The AA-3102RS’s base module has 3 Ultra-Wide SCSI channels. Installing a SCSI channel upgrade daughter board (AA-9073UWS, AA9072UWD, or AA-9073U2) onto the base module allows you to expand up to a total of 6 SCSI channels. (Only one daughter board can be mounted at a time).

• AA-9073UWS: 3 Single-Ended Ultra Wide SCSI Channels

• AA-9072UWD: 2 Differential Ultra Wide SCSI Channels

• AA-9073U2: 3 Ultra2 Wide SCSI Channels

To install the SCSI channel upgrade daughter board:

1. Make sure the power of the host system and drives are off.

2. Position the daughter board so that the SCSI connectors are facing the rear of the controller.

3. While at it, make sure the connector pins on the daughter board are aligned with the two header connectors on the controller’s main board.

4. Press both sides of the daughter board downward so that the connector pins on the daughter board insert into the header connectors on the main board. Make sure the daughter board is seated properly.

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 45

Insert

Daughter Board

Insert

RAID Controller Main Board

User’s Guide

Battery Backup

The AA-3102RS controller operates using cache memory. However, when power failure occurs, the cache memory may contain buffered data that has not yet been written to the hard disks. These buffered data are not retrievable when power returns.

To avoid this from happening, a battery backup solution (AA-9070 and AA-9010) is available to provide up to 100 hours of back-up time. The AA-9070 is a battery backup daughter board that plugs into the controller. The AA-9010 is a battery pack that connects to the AA9070 battery backup daughter board. Several AA-9010’s can be daisy chained to provide long hours of unattended operation over a period of days.

To install the battery backup daughter board and battery pack:

1. Make sure the power of the controller and drives are off.

1 2

19 20

2. Locate for the female pin socket (JP16) on the AA-3102RS mainboard. Remove the socket plug that is on JP16.

1 2

19 20

PULL

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 47

3. Now install the AA-9070 battery backup daughterboard onto the mainboard.

Insert

Battery Backup Daughter Board

Insert

RAID Controller Main Board

4. Connect the AA-9010 battery pack to JP10 located on the AA9070 daughter board.

Connect to JP10

Inductor

Battery Backup Daughter Board

Battery Pack

JP10

Cap.

User’s Guide

It is a must to install the socket plug back to JP16 once you have removed the AA-9070 battery backup daughterboard. The controller will not work if you fail to do so.

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 49

Power Connection

The power input and connection of the AA-3102RS controller is exactly the same as those for hard disk drives. The power connection is shown below.

1 2

19 20

User’s Guide

Serial Port Connection and Set-Up

The AA-3102RS controller can be configured via a PC running a VT100 terminal emulation program, or a VT-100 compatible terminal. The provided interface cable converts the RS-232 signal of the 10-pin header connector on the controller into a 9-pin D-Sub male connector. The pin layout of the 9-pin D-Sub male connector is similar to that of a PC’s serial port and is set as a DTE device. The proper connection of the cable and pin layout is shown below.

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

The following are guidelines on using the serial port:

• The serial port’s default is set at 9,600 baud, 8 bit, 1 stop bit and

no parity. Use the COM1 serial port of the controller.

• In most cases, connecting RD, TD and SG are enough to

establish communication with a terminal.

• If you are using a PC as a terminal, any of the VT-100 terminal

emulation software will suffice. Microsoft Windows includes a terminal emulation program as presented with the "Terminal" icon in the Accessories window.

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 51

The baud rate can be changed using the front panel. To change the baud rate:

1. Press ENT for two seconds to enter the Main Menu. Press t or s to select "View and Edit Configuration ..", then press ENT.

View and Edit

Configuration ..

2. Select "Communication Parameters ..", then press ENT.

Communication Parameters ..

3. Select "RS-232 Configuration ..", then press ENT.

RS-232 Configuration ..

4. Select "COM1 Configuration ..", then press ENT.

COM1 Configuration ..

5. Select "Baud-rate 9600 ..", then press ENT.

Baud-rate 9600 ..

Press t or s to select the baud rate, then press ENT for 2 seconds to confirm the selected baud rate.

The available baud rates are: 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 and 38400.

User’s Guide

Basic Operational setup

An example of the operational setup is shown below:

RAID

Controller

Host CH0 Drive CH1 Drive CH2

(Terminator Enabled)

SCSI cable

Host Computer

(Terminator Enabled)

Terminator

…..

SCSI cable

Terminator

…..

• The SCSI cable must be shorter than 3 meters.

• Channel 0 is connected to the Host system.

• Drives are connected to drive channels 1 and/or 2.

• SCSI nodes on the same channel have their own unique ID

number.

• Both the Host and drive SCSI cables are properly terminated.

• The terminator of all the hard drives must be disabled.

• The power supply is attached.

• All operation parameters are properly set.

To connect the components:

1. Make sure power is off or the power connector is disconnected.

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 53

2. Connect channel 0 of the controller to the Host system's SCS-I port using a suitable SCSI cable.

Channel 0 is the default Host interface using ID number ‘0’. Any of the channels can also be set as the Host interface. More than one channel can be set as the Host interface when operating with redundant Host or multiple Host systems.

3. Make sure the host side of the SCSI cable is properly terminated.

4. Assign a unique SCSI ID for every hard disks that are to be connected on the same SCSI cable; between ID numbers ‘0’ and ‘6’ and ‘8’ and ‘15’. The default ID of the controller’s channel 0 is ‘7’.

5. Connect the other end of the drive SCSI cable to one of the remaining channel on the controller.

6. Connect the connectors located at the middle of the drive SCSI cable to the hard disk(s).

7. Terminate the SCSI cable by installing an external terminator on the last connector. Terminators on all the hard drives must be removed so that removing a hard drive will not affect cable termination.

User’s Guide

In-band SCSI

What is it and why do you need it?

These days more and more external devices require communication with the host computer for device monitoring and administration. This is usually done through RS-232C ports.

Acer now offers an alternative means of communication for its RAID controllers—In-band SCSI. The traditional way for SCSI controllers to communicate with the host computer has been via software (such as the Acer RAID Manager ) using an RS-232C connection. With In-band SCSI, integrators have more flexibility. They may use RS-232C or the existing SCSI cable instead.

How does it use the SCSI cable? In-band SCSI technology translates the original commands into standard SCSI commands. These SCSI commands are then sent to and received from the SCSI raid controller. The Acer RAID Manager can administrate the RAID controller just as it could before via RS-232C. (Note: It is assumed that users of In-band SCSI possess the following: a third-party SCSI adapter and a channel on their Acer RAID controller that can be designated as a host channel.) Both of these are required for In-band SCSI communication between the host and the RAID controller. )

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 55

How Do You Configure the Acer RAID Manager to Use

Config Parms

In-band SCSI?

RAID Controller Adjustments

Don't disconnect your RS-232C cable yet! It is required for another 10 minutes or so. Some adjustments must be made to the RAID controller and to the host computer's SNMP settings before the two can communicate using SCSI commands. (Note: The SNMP settings must be changed prior to installation of the Acer RAID Manager . See SNMP Settings below for a detailed explanation.) The RAID controller settings can be changed using the Front Panel. (Your front panel may be different in appearance from the one shown in this example.)

Controller v2.11 Ready

BUSY POWER

ATTEN

From the Main Menu, press t or s to select "View and Edit Configuration Parameters. "

ESCENT

View and Edit

Press <Enter>; and then use the t or s to select "Host-side SCSI Parameters." Then press <Enter>.

Host-side SCSI Parameters ..

User’s Guide

You will need to make adjustments in the following four submenus: Peripheral Device Type, Peripheral Device Qualifier, Device Support for Removable Media, and LUN Application. Different host operating systems require different adjustments. Look at the table below to find the proper settings for your host operating system.

Peripheral Device Type Parameters Reference for Various

Operating Systems

Operating

System

NT 4.0 3 connected disabled All Undefined

NT 5.0 3 connected enabled All Undefined

NetWare

4.x SCO Unix

5.0x UnixWare

2.1x Solaris

2.5.x/2.6

Peripheral

Device Type

1f connected disabled All Undefined

7f connected either is okay All Undefined

3 connected either is okay All Undefined

7f connected either is okay All Undefined

Peripheral

Device

Qualifier

Device Support

for Removable

Media

LUN

Applicability

LUNs

Peripheral Device Type Settings

Device Type Setting

No Device Present 7f Direct-access Device 0 Sequential-access Device 1 CD-ROM Device 5 Scanner Device 6 MO Device 7 Unknown Device 1f Processor Type 3

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 57

Example: Settings for Windows NT 4.0

Connected

The settings for Windows NT 4.0 are provided here as an example. For the settings for other operating systems, please refer to the table above, Peripheral Device Type Parameters Reference for Various Operating Systems.

On the front panel, use t or s to select "Peripheral Device Type Parameters"; and then press <Enter>.

Periph Dev Type Parameters

(For this example, we assume that there are currently no peripheral devices.)

Device Type No Device (0x7f)

Press t or s to choose "Unknown Device - 3".

Set Device Type? Unknown (0x3)

Press <Enter> to confirm the selection. Now that we have changed the Peripheral Device Type, let us set the Peripheral Device Qualifier. Press <Esc> to return to the sub-menu’s mentioned above. Use the arrow keys to scroll down to Device Qualifier., press t or s to select "Device Qualifier Connected. "

The default setting is "Connected." If your Front Panel reads "Disconnected," press <ENT> and you will be prompted to change to "Connected". If your Device Qualifier setting reads "Connected," press <Esc> to return to the Host-side SCSI submenu.

Device Qualifier

User’s Guide

Use the t or s to select Support for Removable Media. The default

Media - Disabled

Undefine LUN-0’s

setting is "Disabled." If the LCD reads "Enabled," press <Enter> and you will be prompted to accept a change. If the screen reads "Disabled," press <Esc> to return to the Host-side SCSI submenu’s.

SupportRemovable

Press t or s to select "LUN Application"; and then press <Enter>. The default setting is "All Undefined LUN."

LUN ApplicationAll Undefine LUN

Press <Enter> and use t or s to select "Undefined LUN-0’s."

Applies to ?

Press <Enter> to accept. The screen should display the following message.

LUN Application-

The RAID controller adjustments necessary to use In-band SCSI have been completed. For locally accessing the host computer (see section Local Connection — SNMP Not Required), all steps have been completed. For remotely accessing the host computer, further adjustments must be made (see section Remote Connection — SNMP Required).

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 59

Using In-band SCSI in Acer RAID Manager

Local Connection — SNMP Not Required

If you are using the Acer RAID Manager on the host computer that is using In-band SCSI -- i.e., ‘local access’ -- SNMP service is not required. You may now connect by going to FILE>CONNECT and selecting the port address.

Remote Connection — SNMP Required

SNMP Service is required to administrate a RAID controller installed in a remote computer. This passage describes how to establish a connection from the Acer RAID Manager to a RAID controller that is connected to a remote host via In-band SCSI. For information regarding other operations and of the Acer RAID Manager , please refer to the Acer RAID Manager User Guide.

User’s Guide

LAN

Win NT

RAID

Controller

Host Computer

Manager Site

Agent Site

Acer

+ GUI RAID Manager

With In-band SCSI SNMP Agent Installed

In the figure above, the "Agent Site" is a host computer connected to a RAID controller via a SCSI cable. The "Manager Site" is a Windows NT system with the Acer RAID Manager . The Agent Site could be running an operating system other than Windows NT. Acer provides the In-band SCSI SNMP agents for the following operating systems:

• Windows NT

• NetWare

The Manager Site should be a Windows NT Workstation or Server with SNMP service and the Acer RAID Manager installed.

BASIC PROCEDURES TO ESTABLISH THE CONNECTION

The following criteria must be met for the Agent Site and Manager Site:

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 61

Checklist for Agent Site

1. The host computer is connected to the RAID controller via the host SCSI cable (the cable which is used to transfer data between the host computer and the RAID — there’s no need for an extra SCSI cable.)

2. The host computer’s operating system has SNMP service installed.

3. The host computer has the In-band SCSI SNMP agent installed for the corresponding operating system. (The example described herein is Windows NT.)

4. The host computer is up and running.

This following applies to Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3: if the "SNMP Service" is installed after the Service Pack 3 has been installed, Service Pack 3 must be re-installed in order for the SNMP service to work properly.

Checklist for Manager Site

1. The system is running Windows NT (Workstation or Server) and has SNMP Service installed.

2. The Infortrend Acer RAID Manager was installed with the "SNMP Manager Site" option selected.

3. The Acer RAID Manager is running.

User’s Guide

Example Settings for Agent Site Using Windows NT

1. Install SNMP Service in Windows NT. Look for the "Network" icon in the Control Panel. Double click on the "Network" icon to open it.

The Properties window appears. Choose the "Service" tab. If the SNMP Service is already installed, please go ahead to step called "Install the SNMP Agent and Acer RAID Manager ." If the SNMP Service is not yet installed, click on "Add" and choose "SNMP Service" to install.

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 63

2. Install the SNMP Agents and Acer RAID Manager . The Acer RAID Manager can install the In-band SCSI SNMP Agent during installation. During Acer RAID Manager installation, be sure to select both the "SNMP Manager Site" and "SNMP Agent Site" options. Complete the installation by following the on-screen instructions.

Example Settings for Manager Site

1. Install the SNMP manager and Acer RAID Manager . During the installation of Acer RAID Manager , click to select the option "SNMP Manager Site." Complete the installation by following the on-screen instructions.

User’s Guide

2. Run the Acer RAID Manager . Start the connection by choosing FILE>CONNECT>SNMP.

3. The "Setting of SNMP Interface" window appears. Enter the IP

address and community name of the Agent Site. For "Agent-site Communication Type," choose "SCSI Bus Interface." The "Controller Index" refers to the sequence of the RAID controller which is going to be administrated. If only one RAID controller is installed in the agent site computer, choose "0". If there is more than one RAID controller installed in the agent site computer, choose "1" to administrate the second RAID controller. Choose "2" to administrate the third RAID controller, etc.

Chapter 4 Hardware Installation 65

4. After the connection is established, all of the operations in the Acer RAID Manager are the same as before (please refer to the Acer RAID Manager User Guide for complete details on its operation.)

User’s Guide

Chapter 5 Quick Setup

A "Logical Drive" is a set of drives grouped together to operate under a given RAID level and appears as a single contiguous drive. The AA-3102RS controller is capable of grouping connected drives to as many as 8 logical drives, each configured on the same or different RAID levels. A logical drive can be further divided into a maximum of 8 "Partitions". During operation, the host sees an unpartitioned logical drive or a partition of a partitioned logical drive as one single physical drive.

Front Panel

The AA-3102RS controller’s default configurations are based on the number and location of the drives installed. If this is your first time to install, we suggest that you try the default configurations provided by the "Quick Installation" function. This will allow you to immediately verify whether the system is working. Further optimization can then be made later on.

Quick Setup assumes there is only one host channel.

Press ENT for 2 seconds to enter the Main menu. Select "Quick Logical Drive Install ..", then press ENT.

Quick Logical Drive Install ..

Chapter 5 Quick Setup 67

The number of drives and the first possible RAID level will appear on the LCD display. Use t or s to select the RAID level, then press ENT for two seconds to enter the selected RAID level. The controller will now start initialization.

Set TDRV=4 with LG RAID5+Spare ?

The RAID levels available are as follows:

1 Drive = NRAID (Disk Spanning) 2 Drives = RAID0 or RAID1 3 Drives = RAID0

RAID1 + Spare RAID3 RAID5

>3 Drives = RAID0 (Odd) RAID1 (0+1)+ Spare

RAID3 RAID3 + Spare RAID5 RAID5 + Spare

>3 Drives = RAID0 (Even) RAID1 ( 0 + 1)

RAID3 RAID3 + Spare RAID5 RAID5 + Spare

Init Parity 10% Please Wait!

The LCD will display the logic-al drive’s information after completing initialization.

LG=0 RAID5 DRV=3 4123MB GD SB=1

User’s Guide

RS-232 Terminal Interface

The keys used when operating via the terminal are as follows: ←← →→ ↑↑ ↓↓ To select options. [Enter] To go to a submenu or to execute a selected option. [Esc] To escape and go back to the previous menu. [Ctrl] [L] The controller will refresh the screen information.

If the RS-232 cable is connected while the controller is powered on, press [Ctrl] [L] to refresh the screen information.

The initial screen appears when the controller is powered-on. Use ↑↑ ↓↓ arrow keys to select the desired terminal emulation mode, then press [ENTER] to enter the Main Menu.

Type Q or use the ↑↑ ↓↓ keys to select "Quick installation", then press [Enter]. Choose Yes to create a logical drive.

Chapter 5 Quick Setup 69

All possible RAID levels will be displayed. Use the - ¯ keys to select a RAID level, then press [Enter]. The assigned spare drive will be a Local Spare Drive, not a Global Spare Drive.

The controller will start initialization and automatically map the logical drive to LUN 0 of the first host channel.

User’s Guide

Chapter 6 Configuring RAID

Starting to Build a RAID System Drive

Create

Logical Drive

The following figure is a basic flowchart when configuring a RAID system. Hardware installation must be completed before any configurations take place.

When power is turned on, the AA-3102RS RAID controller scans all the hard drives that are on all the drive channels. If a hard drive was connected after the controller completes initialization, use the "SCAN SCSI DRIVE" function to let the controller recognize the newly added hard drive and configure it as a member of a logical drive or a spare drive.

In accordance to your requirement, configure a logical drive to contain one or more hard drives based on the desired RAID level, and partition the logical drive into one or several partitions. Map each partition as one system drive (LUN). The host SCSI adapter will recognize the system drives after re-scanning the host SCSI bus.

Since the controller is totally operating system independent, the operating system of the host computer will not be able to find out whether the attached devices are physical hard drives or virtual system drives created by the RAID controller.

Partition

Logical Drive

Map

Host LUN

(System Drive)

Chapter 6 Configuring RAID 71

A “Logical Drive” is a set of drives grouped together to operate under a given RAID level and appears as a single contiguous drive. The AA-3102RS controller is capable of grouping connected drives to as many as 8 logical drives, each configured on the same or different RAID levels. A logical drive can be further divided into a maximum of 8 “Partitions”. During operation, the host sees an unpartitioned logical drive or a partition of a partitioned logical drive as one single physical drive.

User’s Guide

How the RAID Controller Works?

SCSI Channel, SCSI ID and LUN

A SCSI channel (SCSI bus) can connect up to 15 devices (the SCSI controller itself excluded) when the Wide function is enabled (16-bit SCSI). It can connect up to 7 devices (the SCSI controller itself excluded) when the Wide function is disabled (8-bit SCSI). Each device has one unique SCSI ID. Two devices owning the same SCSI ID is not allowed.

The figure on the left is a very good example. If you are to file document into a cabinet, you must put the document into one of the drawer. From a SCSI’s point of view, a SCSI ID is like a cabinet, and the drawers are the LUNs. Each SCSI ID can have up to 8 LUNs (Logical Unit). Data can be stored into one of the LUNs of the SCSI ID. Most SCSI host adapters treat a LUN like another SCSI device.

LUN 0

LUN 1

LUN 2

In firmware versions 2.11 or later, each SCSI ID can support up to 32 LUNs.

Chapter 6 Configuring RAID 73

Understanding Step by Step

RAID

Controller

Host CH0 Drive CH1 Drive CH2

(Terminator Enabled)

SCSI cable

Host Computer

(Terminator Enabled)

Terminator

…..

SCSI cable

Terminator

…..

Physical connection should look similar to the figure shown on the previous page. The channel connected to the host adapter is the host channel, and the channels connected to the drives are the drive channels.

A Logical Drive consists of a group of SCSI drives. Drives in one logical drive do not have to come from the same SCSI channel. Also, each logical drive can be configured a different RAID level.

User’s Guide

Drive Channel 1

ID 5

ID 0

ID 3 ID 2

Drive Channel 2

ID 6 ID 1 ID 0 ID 14

Local Spare Drive of LD1Global

RAID 5

8GB

Spare

Drive

RAID 0

6GB

Logical Drive 1Logical Drive 0

A drive can be assigned as the Local Spare Drive of one specified logical drive, or as Global Spare Drive.

Partition 0 - 2GB

RAID 5

8GB

Logical Drive 0

RAID 0

6GB

Logical Drive 1

Partition 1 - 1GB

Partition 2 - 5GB

Partition 0

2.5GB

Partition 1

1.5GB

You may divide a logical drive into several partitions, or use the entire logical drive as one single partition.

Chapter 6 Configuring RAID 75

Host SCSI Channel

1GB

Logical Drive 1 Partition 0

2.5GB

Logical Drive 0 Partition 1

LUN 0

LUN 1

LUN 2

1.5GB

5GB

2GB

Logical Drive 0 Partition 2

Logical Drive 1 Partition 1

Logical Drive 0 Partition 0

Host

Adapter

SCSI ID 7

ID 0 ID 1

LUN 0

LUN 1

Map each partition to a host LUN. The LUN will then virtually appear to the host SCSI adapter as an individual hard drive.

User’s Guide

Chapter 7 General Front Panel

AA-3102RS

Operation

Understanding the Information on the LCD

The Initial Screen

Product Model

Firmware Version

IFT-3102 V2.11 Ready

Status/Data Transfer Indicator

Status/Data Transfer Indicator:

Ready There is a logical drive mapped to a LUN.

No Host LUN No logical drive created or the logical drive

has not yet been mapped to any Host LUN.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Indicates data transfer. Each block indicates

256KBytes of data throughput.

Chapter 7 General Front Panel Operation 77

Logical Drive Status

Logical Drive Drive numbers

RAID Level

LG=0 RAID5 DRV=3 2021MB GD SB=1

Logical Drive Status

Logical Drive: The Logical Drive number.

RAID level: The RAID level used in this logical drive.

Drive numbers: The number of SCSI drives contained in this logical

drive.

Logical Drive status:

xxxxMB The capacity of this logical drive.

SB=x Standby drives available for this logical

drive. All the spare drives available for this logical drive will be counted in this field, both Global Spare Drive and Local Spare Drive.

xxxxMB INITING The logical drive is now initializing.

xxxxMB INVALID The logical drive was created with

“Optimization for Sequential I/O”, but the current setting is “Optimization for Random I/O”.

User’s Guide

The logical drive was created with “Optimization for Random I/O”, but the current setting is “Optimization for Sequential I/O”.

xxxxMB GD SB=x The logical drive is in good condition.

xxxxMB FL SB=x One drive failed in this logical drive.

xxxxMB RB SB=x Logical Drive is rebuilding.

xxxxMB DRVMISS One of the drives cannot be detected.

INCOMPLETE ARRAY Two or more drives failed in this logical

drive.

SCSI Drive Status

SCSI Channel Drive Capacity

SCSI ID

C=1 I=0 1010MB LG=0 LN SEAGATE

Logical Drive Number Drive Vendor

Drive Status:

LG=x IN Initializing LG=x LN On-line LG=x RB Rebuilding LG=x SB Local Spare Drive GlobalSB Global Spare Drive NEW DRV New drive

Chapter 7 General Front Panel Operation 79

Drive Status

BAD DRV Failed drive ABSENT Drive does not exist MISSING Drive missing (drive was once there) SB-MISS Spare drive missing

SCSI Channel Status

Channel

Number

Channel

Mode

Primary Controller

SCSI ID Mapping

CH0=Host PID=* SID=NA SXF=20.0M

Secondary Controller

SCSI ID Mapping

Channel Mode:

Host Host Channel mode Drive Drive Channel mode

Default SCSI Bus Sync Clock:

??.?M The default setting of this SCSI channel is ??.? Mhz

in Synchronous mode

Async The default setting of this SCSI channel is in

Asynchronous mode

Default SCSI Bus

Sync. Clock

Primary Controller SCSI ID Mapping:

* Multiple SCSI IDs applied (Host Channel mode only)

User’s Guide

(ID number) Primary Controller is using this SCSI ID for host LUN

mapping.

NA No SCSI ID applied (Drive Channel mode only)

Secondary Controller SCSI ID Mapping:

* Multiple SCSI IDs applied (Host Channel mode only) (ID number) Secondary Controller is using this SCSI ID for host

LUN mapping.

NA No SCSI ID applied (Drive Channel mode only)

Chapter 7 General Front Panel Operation 81

Viewing and Editing Logical Drives

Not Defined ?

NEW DRV SEAGATE

Drive ?

Drive Parameter?

Creating a Logical Drive

Press ENT for two seconds to enter the Main Menu. Press t or s to select "View and Edit Logical Drives", then press ENT.

Press t or s to select a logical drive, then press ENT for two seconds. "LG" refers to Logical Drive.

Press t or s to choose the desired RAID level, then press ENT for two seconds. "TDRV" on the LCD refers to the drives that has not yet been configured.

Press ENT, then use t or s to browse through the drives. Press ENT again to select/deselect the drives. "C=1 I=0" refers to "Channel 1, SCSI ID 0".

After all the desired drives have been selected, press ENT for two seconds to continue. Press t or s to choose “Create Logical Drive”, then press ENT for two seconds to start initializing the logical drive. The maximum capacity of the drives will be used in this logical drive.

View and Edit Logical Drives ×

LG=0

TDRV=4 Create LG Level=RAID5 ?

C=1 I=0 1010MB

Create Logical

You may also choose “Change Logical Drive Parameter”, then press ENT to set other parameters before initializing the logical drive.

Change Logical

User’s Guide

Acer ALTOS 3102RS User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual